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International CPM Program - Baltics

WILLIAM P. HOBBY CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE LAYS THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER (CPM) PROGRAM IN THE BALTIC STATES OF LITHUANIA, LATVIA AND ESTONIA

By: Howard R. Balanoff

Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service is preparing to start a pilot Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program in the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Completion of the Program would result in public and not-for-profit managers in those countries receiving the designation of Certified Public Manager.

The Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program has been offered in Texas since its inception in 1995 and since that time over 1200 public and not for profit supervisors and managers have graduated from the Program. The Texas CPM Program is part of a National Certified Public Manager Program which is offered in 40 states throughout the U.S.

In 2010 & 2011 Texas State University’s Hobby Center offered a similar pilot project in Stockholm Sweden. Ten managers from the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm received CPM training over the Internet and in person at conferences and training sessions from faculty and MPA graduate students from Texas State University. The CPM Program in the Baltics will be similar to the one in Sweden but will incorporate lessons learned from the Swedish CPM Program experience.

In May 2013 faculty from Texas State University’s CPM Program traveled to Latvia and Lithuania to work out details for beginning the pilot CPM Program in the Baltics. Several international faculty members were identified and have agreed to participate in the Program. Faculty from Lithuania will include Dr. Jolita Piliutyte, Professor in the Department of Public Administration of Kaunas Technological University (KTU) and Dr. Jolanta Vaiciuience, Professor and Director of Kaunas Technological University’s Municipal Training Center. Faculty from Latvia will include Dr. Inessa Vorontchuk, Chairman of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Latvia. Dr. Franz Kernic, Professor of Leadership Studies at Milak/ETH University in Zurich, Switzerland was also identified as an international faculty member. Dr. Kernic was the lead faculty member and administrator from the Swedish National Defense College for the CPM Program in Sweden.

The Pilot Baltic CPM Program builds on a 15 year relationship between Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service and faculty in Latvia and Lithuania. During that time period faculty and graduate students from Texas State’s MPA Program have traveled to Latvia and Lithuania and faculty and graduate students from Kaunas Technological University and the University of Latvia have visited Texas State University for periods of a few weeks up to 1 year at a time under a Texas State Program known as the Visiting Scholars in Texas (VISIT) Program.

At the present time about a dozen graduate students/practitioners are being chosen to participate from both the Baltic countries and the US. These students will all participate in the one year CPM Program which is scheduled to begin sometime in September 2013. Students/practitioners and faculty are all being registered as members of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). ICMA and ASPA training materials will be used extensively for the Baltic International CPM Program.

In March 2013 faculty and students participating in the Baltic International CPM Program will present their findings at the National Conference of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) which will be held in Washington DC and in May 2014 faculty and students in the Baltic International CPM Program will travel to Riga, Latvia to present their findings at an international public administration conference which will be held in Riga Latvia.

Dr. Howard R. Balanoff is the William P. Hobby Professor of Public Service at Texas State University. He is also the Director of the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program. He can be reached at hb02@txstate.edu or 512/245-3453. Additional information about the International Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program, William P. Hobby Center for Public Service and the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program can be found at www.txstate.edu/cpm